Without stopping, it would take one less than 5 minutes in each direction. It isn't steep and there is a lot of free parking nearby. On my last trip I spent about 30 minutes in total, stopping to take a lot of pictures while crossing over and back. I went early in the morning so that there wasn't a lot of traffic so that I could stand in the middle of the road to photograph the bridge.

I thought it was named for Petus when built in the 1940s.

You may be describing the Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma. Here is a Review from Trip Advisor: "This is one of the prettiest places n Selma. The huge Live Oak trees give it a very serene and peaceful atmosphere. There are Civil War area grave-sites here. Great site for history!"

If no mobility concerns it should take ten minutes back and forth but really emotional to be honest and stood on the bridge for quite some time. Also be aware there is not a lot of space on the side to walk . It's safe but the traffic can be fast so just be self aware when walking.

It's all free parking. No meters or pay to park parking lots. They do have assigned parking spaces for certain restaurants or stores along Broad Street or hourly parking. If your question is in regards to the bridge, there is parking for visitors on either side of the bridge. For Selma in general, there is no pay to park facility.

I doubt if there is a time that wouldn't be a good time! We were there between Christmas and New Year's and had very nice weather (surprising us). Make sure you check the hours of the NPS information center there--it is just at the end of the bridge. Since the bridge is still in use, you could view it at any time. Drive from Selma to Montgomery, and make sure you stop at the center that is about midway. That is really a great stop. The people at the NPS center were great and give plenty of hints about things to do. I believe we were in Selma about four hours looking at everything, not including the drive to Montgomery.